The Gifts

Merry Christmas to each of you.  As I begin to write it is 5:15 a.m. and I have already been up for close to an hour and delivered my wonderful wife to work at the retail giant to spend the better part of her Christmas Eve managing the madness of today's last minute shoppers.  The upside of this, if there is one, is that my mind has had a little extra time to awaken before I start writing.  Bear with me as I begin because the initial thought may seem a bit unorthodox for the season, but you've likely gotten used to that in this space.

Yesterday I attended my fourth funeral in the past three months or so.  In those four services I have found each to be different in tone and execution.  That is not to say that any were wrong in any way, shape, form, or fashion.  The funeral, or as the term seems to be changing to, "celebration of life", is as individual as each person.  All of this has gotten me to consider my own mortality in at least a slightly different light, and to consider my own services.  I am not certain at this point to what actions this may lead but it is likely that I will put some thoughts on paper as to how I would like for my services to be handled.

Yesterday's funeral was for a cousin who was 5 years younger than myself, and had fought with a form of leukemia, been through a bone marrow transplant, and recently began to reject that transplant.  She left behind a devoted husband, 3 young adult daughters, and a loving set of parents.  It was not hard to feel a portion of the family's pain throughout the services as the memories flooded their minds, and the heartache swelled knowing that their wife, mother, daughter, etc. would not be with them for the holidays or the many special occasions to come.  This is where my thoughts became reflective in nature.

I began to consider the juxtaposition of the holiday season and the giving of gifts with what had been lost.  The biggest thing for me to think about here was opportunities lost.  In a finite way we each have only so much of ourselves to give; time, energy, emotion. . .   However, it is in this sense that we must recognize all the people that cross our paths are a gift.  Each has a unique story to tell, and perspective to share, and each can enrich our life if  we will accept he gift, unwrapping it slowly over time.  The gifts that we see exchanged at the holiday season are often short-lived and of only fleeting significance, while the gift of relationships is one that can often enrich us for a lifetime.

We need one another in this old world, and thanks to the institutions of the family and church along with the building of friendships we can build the support we need.  What I am really saying in all of this is the greatest gifts we can give is the gift of ourselves, and the greatest we can receive is the gift of others.  Missed opportunities may haunt us, but opportunities seized will be powerful and like treasures that cannot be stolen.  The writer of Hebrews said this:

Beware, brethren, lest there be in

any of you an evil heart of unbelief

in departing from the living God,

but exhort one another daily,

while it is called "Today",

lest any of you be hardened 

through the 

deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 3:12-13

We have a divine appointment to lift one another up, and be an encouragement to others.  Yes we may have failed at this in the past, but today is a new day, and a new opportunity.  Carpe diem, Seize the Day!  Do just a little bit daily to build upon, or establish, relationships with others.  This is how we will MAKE TODAY GREAT!